


Lightning in the Dark

by AngelFish1214



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:40:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28708302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelFish1214/pseuds/AngelFish1214
Summary: Levi and Erwin go to the underground in search of a missing noble's daughter, who is being held for ransom by a new and dangerous gang, the Bloody Kings. What they find however, isn't what they expected. Just what exactly has happened in the underground since Levi left, and what does Amalia Cohen have to do with it? He intends to find out.
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	Lightning in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> I originally planned to make this a songfic, with a different song in each chapter. It's going to be a regular story instead, but Amalia loves music, so there will probably be a few chapters with songs in them.

The stench of decay and garbage that permeates the stale air of the underground city is something Levi was determined never to experience again. And yet somehow, he had been forced back into the hellhole that so few ever escaped from. He takes shallow breaths and glowers at the man responsible for all his misfortunes. Eyebrows sits across from him at a dusty, weathered, wood table with several large chips along the edges, sipping slowly from a glass of amber liquid. His sharp blue eyes rove subtly over the hazy tavern, then return to Levi; and he sets the glass down to speak in a muted tone.  
“It’s been an hour and there’s no sign of her. Are you sure your source is trustworthy? It’s been a few years since you cut ties down here, after all.”  
Levi’s glower morphs into a full out glare and he scoffs under his breath.  
“Tch. The source is good Erwin. Just be patient. Though, I still don’t understand how we got stock with this shitty job. Recovering some noble’s lost daughter has shit to do with the scouts.”  
The blonde commander shakes his head with an irritated sigh, but Levi brushes it off. The asshole had brought him back here, he can just deal with Levi’s displeasure.  
“I told you. I owed Nile a favor and he chose to collect with this. You know the underground better than anyone. I need your unique…skills for this. As soon as we confirm the girl is alive and well, we’ll report it to Lord Cohen and the military police will take care of the ransom exchange.”  
Levi rolls his eyes and brings his own cups to his lips, welcoming the slightly bitter heat of black tea as it washes over his tongue and warms his throat. He’s lucky. This tavern is controlled by the underground mafia, which means it is well supplied with rare goods from the capitol. Now if only they could learn how to clean. He glances disdainfully from underneath his hood at the tabletop, which is covered in a thin film of dirt. His hands twitch, aching to wipe it clean but also unwilling to touch anything. At least his cup is clean.  
Levi’s gaze wanders across the tavern, searching both for their target and for anyone acting suspicious. There are several groups of people scattered throughout the bar, laughing and making conversation in loud, slurred voices. A few barmaids wander, batting away grabby hands and plastering obviously fake smiles as the men catcall and make absurd comments. Just a normal night. No one spares them so much as a glance. Even their waitress seems to have forgotten about them. This is good. The less they stand out the better. If someone recognized him down here it could cause a lot of trouble for them really fast. His fingers brush subconsciously over the knife tucked in his belt, and he exhales deeply to calm his agitated nerves.  
The door of the tavern burst open with an echoing bang. Levi and Erwin watch three people armed with military issue shotguns, and probably several hidden weapons saunter in. The barkeep greets them with a bow and an eager smile and directs them to an empty table next to an ancient looking piano. They take their seats and call back to the entrance. Levi turns back to the door. His eyes narrow and he kicks Erwin sharply under the table to get his attention. With a soft grunt, Erwin turns his head and they watch two more people step in quietly and make their way to the table.  
The first is a lanky but well-built man with slicked back russet hair and dark eyes. His white sleeves are rolled up. When the man reaches up to comb his fingers through his hair, Levi spots a blood red tattoo of a broken crown on the back of his right hand. His source, an elderly matron of one of the many orphanages, informed him that this was the brand of a new mob. They have been quickly gaining power and notoriety in the underground. According to her, the Bloody Kings, led by a woman named Zita who no one had ever seen, are the ones who hold Lord Cohen’s daughter captive. This bar is their home base, and a glance to the man’s side confirms that the woman’s information is good. The young lady walking next to the gang member matches Lord Cohen’s piss poor description of his daughter perfectly.  
Amalia Elyse Cohen stands out like a brightly burning star against the darkness of the underground. Her willowy form stands at least five inches taller than Levi. Ash blonde hair spills over her shoulders in heavy layers, and choppy bangs frame both sides of an angular face with a sharp jaw and high cheek bones. Lord Cohen had described her eyes as ‘light brown’, but even in the dim light tavern light they shine a fiery cognac that puts Erwin’s whiskey to shame. She has little in the way of curves, but there is well defined muscle on her sun kissed arms and shoulders. Her legs, left tantalizingly bare by her short, billowing dress, go on forever. As she takes a seat beside her russet haired guard she smiles beautifully and lays a small hand with long fingers over his arm. Erwin leans across the table and whispers.  
“Does it seem very much like she’s being held captive to you?”  
Still watching Amalia as she laughs heartily and objects to something he can’t hear with a wave of her hands, Levi only shakes his head. No, she definitely doesn’t look like someone being held against their will.  
“Well, it’s not up to us to decide that. I suppose she could be suffering from capture-bonding. We’ll observe her a little longer. Then we’ll go make our report. The shorter time we’re down here the better.”  
Levi nods, still not taking his eyes off Amalia. Her russet haired companion whispers something in her ear and a pretty blush stains her cheeks before she slaps the man’s arm and stands up with a huff. She walks over to the old piano and takes a seat. At once, the whole bar falls silent.  
He finally looks away for a moment to watch every single person in the bar turn their attention to her. The air is suddenly less stale. Instead, it is charged with quiet excitement as Amalia pulls her hair into a high ponytail, then finally lays her hands over the keys and begins to play. The melody is a simple chord progression, nothing terribly complicated, but as she begins to sing, the soft, somber notes fill the quiet room and the lyrics make something in Levi’s chest ache.

One day I’ll be gone  
And the world will keep turning  
I hope I leave this place  
Better than I found it

Oh, it’s hard, I know it’s hard  
To be the lightning in the dark  
Hold on tight, we’ll be alright  
You know it’s time

  
Amalia’s eyes close as she tilts her head back and continues into the chorus with a soulful forte.

Oh, here comes the change  
We’re coming of age  
This is not a phase  
Here comes, here comes the change

Her fingers fly gracefully over the keys in an upbeat melody, before returning to alternating chords. A sad half smile pulls at her pale pink lips and she shakes her head with a laugh as she sings the next verse.

Is it a crazy thought?  
That if I have a child  
I hope they live to see the day  
Where everyone’s equal

Oh, it’s hard, I know it’s hard  
To be the right inside the wrong  
Hold on tight, we’ll be alright  
You know it’s time

Oh, here comes the change  
We’re coming of age  
This is not a phase  
Here comes, here comes the change

As Amalia finishes the second chorus and moves into the third verse, Levi tears his gaze away from her to observe the patrons of the tavern. Each and every one of them is completely enraptured by her performance. Many stare with small awed smiles, but it is the look in their eyes that shocks Levi to his core. In them, where he had always seen dull, listless acceptance of their unchangeable fate, there is now a shining glimmer of hope. He turns back to Amalia with wide eyes. What exactly has this woman done to inspire such a thing? Because I certainly isn’t just her song, no matter how beautiful it is.

Oh, there’ll come a time when we  
We can live and die free  
I hope and pray  
There’ll come the day  
And it’s coming soon

Here comes a change  
We’re coming of age  
This is not a phase  
Here comes, here comes the change

Amalia opens her eyes and looks over the crowd as she belts the final verse.

It’s time to change  
We are the change

Her gaze finds him on the last line. Levi holds his breath and his heart skips a beat. In those cognac eyes burns a fire and strength, a bold determination he has seen in only a few people in his lifetime. Most of them are his fellow scouts, and not a single one of them was a capitol dwelling blue blood who wanted and cared for nothing.

Oh, here comes the change

The bar erupts in cheers as she finishes and rushes back to her table with a deep blush, where her companions greet her with raised glasses and several pats on the back. Erwin whispers next to him that this is their chance to leave unnoticed. As they slip out the back door, Levi turns to catch one last glance of the platinum haired beauty. Her friend has clasped their hands over the table, and he leans in to brush a chaste kiss across her cheek. No, Amalia Cohen is certainly no prisoner. Somehow, she had done the impossible. The willowy blonde with graceful fingers, a voice as smooth as honey, and eyes of fire had brought hope to the prisoners of the underground city.  
He has a strong suspicion that Lord Cohen will be in for a rude awakening when it comes time for the ransom exchange. And damn does he want to see it. As he and Erwin exit the stairwell into the warm light of the afternoon sun, Levi isn’t quite sure he succeeds at sounding disinterested.  
“Erwin, I think we should volunteer to help with the exchange, just to make sure your debt to Nile is paid.”  
Eyebrows fixes him with a smug look.  
“Yes, I was about to suggest the same. I’m surprised you beat me to it. Why the sudden interest?”  
Levi looks away with a scoff.  
“Tch. I just don’t want that asshole to keep bothering us. We have an expedition coming up.”  
Erwin chuckles but doesn’t press. They step into a waiting carriage and make their way to Lord Cohen’s estate.  
“Very well, we will offer our services after we make our report. The exchange is set for tomorrow. It shouldn’t be a problem since we’re already here.”  
Erwin rambles on, outlining plan and suggesting theories about Amalia’s involvement with the Bloody Kings, but Levi barely listens. Amalia’s song echoes in his mind and the memory of burning cognac eyes sets his blood alight with excitement.  
For nearly six long years he has fought the titans now with no sign of progress, only endless despair. Change, she had promised. He looks forward to seeing what kind of change this woman who inspires the hopeless can bring.


End file.
